MUNCIE — A new policy brief from Ball State University's Center for Business and Economic Research is shedding light on the economic impact of county-level restrictions on utility-scale wind and solar development in Indiana.
The brief, published through the Indiana R-STEP Collaborative, summarizes findings from a broader study of renewable energy restrictions across Indiana counties, according to a community announcement.
The report found that counties with restrictions on renewable energy development tended to experience weaker economic performance than those without such limitations. The differences were most evident in employment and gross domestic product, particularly in manufacturing and related sectors.
The estimates are described as lower-bound effects, meaning the analysis identifies consistent patterns but does not establish causality at the highest level of precision.
"This study adds data to an important local and statewide conversation," Michael Hicks, CBER director and George and Frances Ball Distinguished Professor of Economics at Ball State's Miller College of Business, said in the announcement. "Our findings suggest that counties with more restrictive wind and solar policies have, on average, experienced weaker employment growth and slower economic expansion than counties without those restrictions."